Declarations of the Perfected: Part Two: Instructions on Shaping Destiny

Declarations of the Perfected is the first complete, annotated translation of Zhen'gao, Tao Hongjing’s (456-536) masterful compilation of the Shangqing or Higher Clarity revelations, setting the stage for the heyday of medieval Daoism. The present volume presents the Declarations’ second part (fasc. 5-8), which focuses on the various difficulties that Daoist practitioners are likely to encounter in a dangerous world, and how to overcome them. It begins with instructions of a more general nature, before moving on to problems faced specifically by Xu Mi (303-376) and his family and fellow officials. This volume also sheds much light on the history of its time-the kinds of moral and philosophical issues that were being debated, as well political intrigues in the Eastern Jin court.